Strain between all
by MariskaRose
Summary: NEW CHAPTER UP!This might be really bad- sorry. Jack has to bring in an old friend to help him today- against his will. How will everyone react? Dredges up the past.
1. Default Chapter

September, 23rd.10:15am

" You know who we need right?" Jack Bauer asked Toney Almeida. The two were sat in Jacks newly refurbished office discussing the latest terrorist threat to cross their paths, heatedly. Tony sighed.

"Yeah, I know but Jack there's got to be someone else," Tony argued.

"Who Tony," Jack snapped. Already today's events were taking their toll on him. "In one hour and forty five minutes we are going to have a dead bodies everywhere and a government building in tatters."

"Jesus," Tony exhaled loudly. "How? She won't come in easy at all…"

"We'll call and see from there…."

Sarah Matthews sat in the empty lecture hall , waiting for her new class to enter. She'd been teaching psychology for 5 years. It wasn't her first choice occupation. It almost found her in a strange way. A few male students entered the hall, she smiled reassuringly She gestured to some seats and.they couldn't take their eyes off her. Who could blame them? She had beautiful olive skin and chocolate brown long wavy hair. Her hazelnut coloured eyes were warm and welcoming. The fitted pinstripe black suit and white top complimented her petite yet muscular frame and her smile- amazing More students gradually filed in and began to sit down. Sarah's phone trilled loudly in the otherwise quiet room. SHIT she thought and quickly answered it.

"Hello," she answered hushed.

"Sarah we really need to speak to you," the familiar voice answered "here."

"No," she replied calmly yet firmly. "Please don't, I can't not again." With that she ended the call. She took a deep breath and faced her class.

"Welcome"

10:25 am

"Well?" Tony asked impatiently.

Jack shook his head "no"

"Great," Tony complained loudly. Both men sat in deep thought. There's only one thing to do," he finished.

"Tony she already doesn't trust us," said Jack and he stood up and began pacing the room. "No you're right we have to do."

"We should tell Chase though… she's his adopted sister…."

They both got up and left the room empty.

10:20AM

"Michelle," Tony whispered to his new wife. She looked up from her desk and gave him a smile already looking tired. "Jack and I have to go pick someone up… don't tell anyone you know im not insured to do any field op work but it'll help with today."

"Sure. Where are you going?" Michelle asked.

"You're in charge, we'll be back soon," Tony said dismissively.

Jack walked over to Chase who was talking to Jack's daughter Kym.

"Chase," jack started pulling chase in to a corner." We've got to bring Sarah in… for help…"

Chase looked down and shook his head.

"ok," he said quietly. "If you have to.."

Jack nodded. Today was going to test them in many ways. He walked over to Tony and together they walked out of the CTU building….

10:45AM

"i drive a hard course but if you work hard, then you'll do well - we'll all get on. I don't mind if you find something difficult and you slow down, come to me and I'll help. If however, you're just being lazy then you're off this course quicker than you can say SORRY," Sarah explained. She was slightly annoyed that some of the students were extremely late- well for their first day's lesson. Her students looked apprehensive. Sarah looked at a girl in her first row.

"Excuse me," she asked looking at her and smiling. "Whats your name?"

"Luisa ma'am," she answered quietly.

"Please no ma'am. Ok Luisa. I want you to do me a favour… I have an extreme problem of forgetting simple things like bringing books when I say I will. If I ask you to remember anything please just remind me to do it at the end of a lesson please!" Sarah said smiling.

"Ok," the girl looked relieved it wasn't too difficult. She was about to begin the actual lesson when there was a bang on the door. She rolled her eyes.  
"Never on time.Enter!" she snapped. The door opened and two men entered one in a black suit and one in a grey suit. She gasped.

Back at CTU, Michelle was growing impatient.

"Have you got any closer to finding any links between known terrorists and todays letter?" she asked Kym Bauer.

"It doesn't match an MO of any known terrorists around. If they've hit before it's been very discrete and highly covered up. You don't know where my dad is do you?

" Picking someone up. Hurry up please!" Michelle was distracted. There were no links to the letter where the original threat was highlighted and her husband was acting strange…

"Get out," Sarah ordered. The class looked at her expectantly.

"Please Sarah. Just let us explain to you…" Jack asked. Sarah's eyes filled with tears. Tears of anger and sadness.

"Class excuse me for two minutes please." She said. She turned and walked to Jack and Tony.

"What in God's name are you doing here? Wait I don't even care. Please go." Sarah snapped.

"We really need your help at CTU," Jack explained quietly. He knew what she was going through.

"Jack find someone else, please don't make me… I can't do this…" she pleaded.

"There IS no one else Sarah…" Tony answered.

"NO" she said decisively. She pointed to the door and walked back to the front of the class. Tony and Jack looked at each other and shook their heads in mutual agreement.

"Sarah Matthews we're placing you under arrest.." Tony intoned. Sarah snapped around, eyes wide. Jack walked over and placed handcuffs on her. The entire class walked over her. Jack and Tony were filled with hate for themselves, Sarah filled with rage.

"Class, I'll see you next week, same time, read chapter 1…" she ordered never taking her eyes of Tony. They frog marched her to a car in the parking lot.

Jack and Tony got into the front of the vehicle after placing Sarah handcuffed in to the back. Jack looked into the rear-view mirror. Her long brown hair hid the most of her face yet he still managed to see one tear slide quickly down her face. Deep down his heart went out to her. Meanwhile Tony was on the phone to Michelle.

The phone, on the desk in front of Michelle trilled loudly, breaking her concentration.

"Almeida," she answered.

"Michelle, I need you to arrange the conference room as another office in 20 minutes," he instructed.

"What do you want in it?" she asked grabbing a piece of paper and a blue biro.

"Erm…phone, a report on today's events, computer with clearance codes that Jack's privileged to-an office Michelle," he snapped impatiently.

"Ok. Ryan Chappelle has found out about your little excursion- e's going to be here in 15 minutes himself," she informed her highly agitated husband.

"right… Thanks Michelle."

Michelle put the phone down. She scanned the room quickly and her eyes landed on Kym. She got up and quickly walked over. Kym looked up and smiled. She liked Michelle. She was fair yet business like. Michelle leaned over Kym and quietly said:

" Kym I need you to set up the conference room as a new office. Right now. Can we keep this between our selves please." From the way that Jack had spoken to Chase and the foul mood Chase had been in after Jack and Tony left, she thought it might be better if she involved him as little as possible.

"no problem," Kym answered.

"Why are you bringing me in," Sarah asked quietly finally breaking the uncomfortable silence in the car.

"We need your help. Every two hours a government building will be destroyed starting in Los Angeles unless 50 million dollars worth of Angel dust is allowed into LA." Tony informed her.

"Angel dust? That's a hallucinogen right?" she asked.

"Yeah. The worst. If this was to be entered into water supplies then we're all in BIG trouble. It makes the brain disassociate from the body. You can do horrendous things and not even know you're doing it. The last time it happened and recorded was a young girl took it and ate her best friend alive. She thought someone else was doing it…. Can you imagine the whole of LA doing that?" Tony answered. "We have to presume that it's going to be used as a weapon."

"And… im not HAZ MAT…." Sarah snapped sarcastically.

"Sarah… you're a psychologist. The most sought after around. The students in there spend thousands to have a lecture with you. Our threat was received as a letter and we have no other leads…" Jack was pleading with her.

Something in his voice made her realise he was serious and desperate. She'd known Jack Bauer a long time and Tony, she'd known for a few years. Inside she knew they would never have done this if they weren't scared or desperate… She hated herself for giving in so easily….

"If you really need me…" she muttered.

"We really really do Sarah," Tony answered. Tony looked at her from the front of the car. She nodded. She gazed out of the window as they pulled in to the CTU parking Lot.

"We're here."

11:05

Kym walked over to Michelle's station.

"The conference room is done."

"Great," Michelle said "Kym can you go and tell Ryan Chappelle that Tony and Jack have just got back-security have called up- and that they'll be up in a minute!"

Kym walked off to where he was waiting.

Jack helped Sarah out of the back seat. She turned around and Tony took her seat belt off.

"Thank," she muttered flexing her wrists. They all turned and began to walk to the door to the CTU building. She remembered where to go. Sarah in the middle, Tony and Jack either side. They walked up stairs through various corridors. Everything was different to her. They eventually got to a pair of large double doors. Sarah took a deep breath as they opened them slowly. She followed Jack and Tony as they entered the CTU department.

11:15

She looked around. Everything had changed since she'd last been here. Jack beckoned for her to follow him. She walked into a large room.

"This is your office. You should have everything you need in here." Jack said quietly. He left the room. She sat down at the desk and looked around.

Ryan Chappelle soon walked in followed by 10 or 15 other people who Sarah guessed were department heads. The woman with the brown curly hair was there. The woman that Tony had been talking to. She noticed a ring on their wedding fingers- _they must be married, _she thought. She was surprised; Tony never seemed the marrying type.

Ryan interrupted her thoughts.

"This is Sarah Matthews. She's here to help and has the same privileges as Jack Tony and I so send anything you've got to her." Everyone nodded properly. "She's here to help…Ok I don't think we've got any further…" The brunette interrupted him. "Michelle?"

"Yeah, we got DNA off the envelope… It's a woman!" she answered.

Sarah raised her eyebrow…

"Great, but there are millions of women in LA never mind the world we need more, now lets go." Ryan said. All filed out except him, Jack, Tony and Sarah.

"I want you to let me know anything you get…" he started

"Ryan, I know we're on the same team but I work with Tony, the brunette- Michelle, and Jack. That's it." Sarah snapped. She thought if Tony married her she must be good.

"Look Sarah, no doubt you feel like we were disloyal to you or something but you're here on my terms…"

"I don't feel you were disloyal… I don't like you. I work with Jack and Tony and his wife…" she finished reassuringly. Ryan was about to jump down her throat about being a team but was interrupted by Jack.

"Ryan its ok." He whispered. Ryan stalked out of the room Tony following. She started picking up files. "Jack I've had an idea already. If this person is any kind o f good criminal, which I'm guessing they are, you don't just start a career like that with something so big, why do something so simple and leave DNA? It doesn't make sense." She finished getting straight to business, trying to forget why she didn't want to be here.

He nodded noticing that she hadn't changed since she'd been here, tough but real.

"My thought exactly…" He thought hard thinking of all possible outcomes. "…Unless they want to be caught," he finished. Sarah frowned.

"it's a possibility but also makes it harder to find them…" Sarah whispered "We've just got to keep our thoughts open anything then if that's the case." Jack walked out and left her to think.

She began by flicking through various sheets looking for the original letter that catapulted her in to his world again. She soon realised it wasn't there and looked up the code for Michelle's phone.

"Dessler," Michelle said.

"hi. Erm.. I need a copy of the letter its not here." Sarah said in the phone watching Michelle as she spoke to her.

"Ok. I'll bring It through in a couple minutes."

"Thanks."

They both put the phone down. Michelle looked at the office and watched Sarah flick through the files again. Chase walked over.

"Chase can you take this to Sarah please?" Michelle handed a copy of the letter to Chase.

Chase tapped on the glass door.

"Yeah," Sarah shouted naturally not looking up. Chase walked in. She looked up expectantly.

He handed the letter to her, the atmosphere tense.

"Thanks," she muttered. "Sarah…" "Chase…" they said at the same time.

"Just because we're forced to work together it does not mean everything's back to normal because its not…" Sara finished looking down.

"Jesus Sarah… what should I do? Quit my job because you say so? Quit doing something im good at for no reason?" Chase exploded. Sarah got up equally angry.

"No Chase. You trust me. After all you did for me when we're growing up I wanted to re pay you by saving you the pains of working here… did you trust me? What had I ever asked Chase?"

"Since Daniel died…" he started.

"Get out." Sarah said quietly. Chase looked at her and saw the rage in her eyes.

"What ever…" he turned and walked out shaking his head. Sarah watched him leave and saw many eyes on her. She bit her lip and sat down mentally exhausted after almost coming to blows with her brother. She busied herself with sheets.

Chase walked straight over to Michelle. He leant over her shoulder and spoke quietly in her ear.

"I need you to find out why Sarah left."

"I'll need clearance for that kind of information. She's a former agent and left on conspicuous grounds. Everyone knows that, just leave it…" Michelle said back


	2. Truth

"Can you not tell me why she's so annoyed?" Chase asked. He followed Jack up to his office.

"No Chase I can't. Don't ask." Jack said. Chase bit his tongue before he retaliated and said something he'd regret. He turned around and stalked off, not happy about being told nothing.

Jack was thinking about everything. About Sarah and why he felt so protective of her. He'd got around many women but never Sarah. He respected her so much- in many ways she was his equal. Always had been really. His thoughts were interrupted by a tapping at his door. He looked up and saw Sarah stood there. He nodded her in. She smiled and walked in. Sat down.

"Anything?" he asked a little too hopefully.

"Maybe…"she admitted. "You might want to get Tony in here." He looked at her and picked up his phone.

"We got something?" Tony asked

"Yeah. Come up." He put the phone down. Sarah watched him. _He's gotten older,_ she thought. They sat in silence for a second, thinking about everything they'd encountered together, and everything they'd fought.

"I'm sorry about Terri." Sarah whispered. Jack nodded.

"I used think that kind of pain never existed." Jack said.

"I know…." They held each others gaze.

Tony walking in broke the moment. He immediately took a seat and all eyes were on Sarah.

"I know this person…met them before. They're well educated…approximately our age, they know you're system better than you know it yourself… they'll have worked here- they know you're protocol. By the fact that this person mentions you both im guessing they know you and im also going with a woman. The DNA probably isn't you're woman- will have got a friend to lick the envelope…" she finished

"You got that from a letter?" Tony asked slightly disbelievingly.

"Yeah you got to know how to interpret it." She said and smiled wryly.

"Great." Tony said finally happy to have some information.

"Right so how do we narrow this down." Jack asked. He took a breath.

"Well… I worked here, what, 7 years ago, and I don't know you're protocol in as much detail as this. SO you've either got a hacker or someone knows this place really well." Sarah informed them.

"Chloe would know if there was a hole in the system. It's the latter." Tony stated and Jack nodded.

"I told Ryan things had to change," he muttered. "Ok." He took a deep breath and picked his phone up.

"Chloe, up here please." He ordered.

"Yes'sir," she remarked sarcastically. He rolled his eyes. Within seconds, the young girl walked into the room. Sarah smiled. Chloe smiled back her usual forced smile.

"Chloe we need you to a cross reference for a person, who left within the last 5 years…." Jack said. It sounded pretty weak to him.

"Left with suspicious circumstances, probably knew Jack and/or Tony the best, high level ranking…. and err…woman – try both but focus on women." Sarah finished, obviously having more faith in psychology than they did.

"Sure," Chloe said trying to remember it all, slightly annoyed she wasn't told to take notes.

She walked out after nodding bye to Sarah. Sarah looked after her in amusement.

"I should go tell everyone else that we've slightly narrowed it down." Tony said standing up. He left the room.

"You don't trust psychology do you?" Sarah asked teasingly. Jack smiled.

"It seems like guess work to me…"Jack admitted truthfully. "But we need it today." The phone trilled.

"Yeah," Jack answered. He listened to the other end. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Ok thanks." He said wistfully. Sarah looked at him expectantly.

"The FBI building in LA. Blown apart. Death toll is at 40 and climbing." He informed her quietly.

"Jesus…."she whispered. He got up and left the room, Sarah following.

He got part way down the stairs and stopped.

"Listen up." The room went quiet. "We've got to pull out the stops. The LA fed building has just been taken out. We need to work quickly yet efficiently. We're going to be here for the long haul guys. OK lets get this son of a bitch." The team turned and walked back to their work.

"Jack!" Chloe called. He turned.

"Already?" She nodded.

He ran to her Tony and Sarah in tow. He got to her monitor and found Kim there looking dead pan serious.

"Well who then?" Jack asked impatiently.

"Chase," Michelle called discreetly. He raised and eyebrow. He walked over.

"You got it already?" he asked surprised.

"Yeah it was relatively easy to override." She said looking down.

"And…" he asked impatiently. He care so much for his sister, he just wanted to help.

"Sarah left 7 years ago. She made allegations of a mole against another agent after her fiancée Daniel Jamieson was murdered. Jack and Tony worked the case with George.The agent was cleared, insufficient evidence,but Sarah remained adamant and decided to leave." Michelle looked embarrassed. Chase shocked.

"Who was this agent?" he asked quietly, confused.

"Nina Myers," snapped Kim.


End file.
